Phoenix Chronicles: Where I Belong
by Alexandria Prime
Summary: The war is over! And after six months of inprisonment and weeks of fighting, Sonic is finally going home to Knothole Village and going around the world to help others. But he isn't alone. Joining him is his new little sister, Alexis Rey Hedgehog, who is excited to see her new home, meet her new family, and meet all the rest of Sonic's friends. Rated T because I'm paranoid. Sue me.
1. Welcome to Knothole!

**Hello readers! Welcome to the next book of the Phoenix Chronicles and the sequel to **_**Sonic Forces: Rise of the Phoenix!**_** This book will be focusing a little bit more on our other characters besides Alexis, but there won't be much in the ways of fighting. So for those of you expecting a boss battle at the end of this chapter, sorry. No dice.**

**Wasn't able to fit the whole sypnosis on the cover, so here's the full part of it:**

_**The war is over! And after six months of inprisonment and weeks of fighting, Sonic is finally going home to Knothole Village and going around the world to help others. But he isn't alone. Joining him is his new little sister, Alexis Rey Hedgehog, who is excited to see her new home, meet her new family, and meet all the rest of Sonic's friends, including some new friends that neither of them have met.**_

_**But something dark is stirring in the shadows, something that wishes for revenge against Sonic. It's up to the two hedgehogs to help defend their home from the evil that threatens to destroy the freedom that these two have worked so hard for. **_

_**A new world, and a new start- Alexis is going to prove that she was home, and she is where she belongs!**_

**For those of you that are just joining us for this series, welcome! Highly reccomend that you go to **_**Rise of the Phoenix**_** if you want to get the whole gist of this!**

**Before we continue, disclaimer: I do not own Sonic. I only own my OC's minus Gadget. All other Sonic properties belong to SEGA!**

**Now let's roll!**

_[2 days after Phantom War]_

Alexis Rey Hedgehog raised her blue and aqua hand, her dual-colored blue eyes squinting through the sunlight that filtered through the trees. The only sounds that were around her were the soft swish and cracking of sticks and grass underneath her blue and gray boots and the sound of Flicky's chirping in the trees.

As well as the sound of another pair of footsteps beside her. She lowered her hand and smiled at her older brother, 19 year-old Sonic the Hedgehog, who was walking beside her with his eyes closed, feeling the sun dancing across his face. "Enjoying being outside?" she asked.

Sonic opened his eyes and grinned at her. "After six months of being cooped up in a cell in the dark coldness of space? This is paradise! It sure is a pretty day too. There's not a cloud in the sky, only a light breeze, and I'm happy. What do you think?"

"Be a great day for a picnic," she replied, placing her arms behind her head. "So, how long until we get to Knothole?"

"Shouldn't be too long," he responded. He looked around the trees as he said, "The secret entrance should be pretty close as well. As a matter of fact..." His gaze stopped on one particularity thick oak tree with a vine hanging from one of the branches. He walked over to it and examined it. "We're here!" he told her as she joined him.

"So, this is the secret entrance?" asked Alexis, examining the tree.

"Yup." Sonic grabbed the vine and pulled downward. A large section of the trunk moved upwards, revealing a long slide. "I always loved this next part. Ladies first." He bowed slightly and motioned to the entrance.

Alexis giggled and bowed as well. She grabbed the handlebar at the top of the doorway and swung in, her cloak billowing behind her. "Yahoo!" she cheered as she slid down the slide. She could hear Sonic cheering as well as he hopped in behind her.

For a while, Alexis could only feel the bumps, corkscrews, and loops of the slide, seeing only darkness and hearing her own happy cheers. Finally, she saw daylight at the end of the tunnel, and she went sailing out, landing in the large pile of hay that was placed at the entrance. She stuck her head out of the pile and said, "Well, that was fun!"

"Look out beloooooowww!"

Alexis gave a yelp as a blue blur landed in the pile next to her, launching a few pieces into the air. Sonic stuck his head out and said, "It's good to be home! You enjoy the ride?"

"I loved it!" said Alexis, climbing out of the hay pile and picking a few pieces out of her clothes, "It was tons of fun!"

"Glad you liked it!" Sonic climbed out of the pile as well, brushing hay off of his fur. "Now then, let's go see... the village?" Hearing the worried note in his voice, Alexis turned, gasping at the sight.

Knothole was under attack! Dozens of Badniks swarmed through the village, causing many mobians to duck into their homes. Others were being rammed or thrown against the side of buildings. It deeply shocked the two new arrivals. "I though you said this was a secret village," said Alexis, turning to look at Sonic.

"Guess it isn't anymore," growled Sonic. "C'mon! We've got a home to save!" He darted into the town with Alexis hot on his heels.

As the Badniks turned towards them, Sonic boosted through, causing many of the robots to fall apart. As some more advanced on Alexis, she drew out the cylinder attatched to her belt, pressing the button. Long pieces of metal came out from the hilt, joining together and forming a thick triangular blade, which she proceeded to use to slice through the Badnik hordes.

A few nearby Mobians were running from another group of robots with a wolf holding a Hammer Wispon. "Get to cover!" he told his friends. He turned to face the oncoming horde, but a Badnik simply swatted away the Wispon and reached forward, ready to grab him.

A blue flash followed, smashing the Badnik to pieces and picking up the Wispon. "You okay, kid?" asked Sonic, helping the young wolf stand up.

"Y-your Sonic the Hedgehog!" finally exclaimed the wolf as he stood. "Y-your alive!"

"And kicking," grinned Sonic. He handed the Wispon back to the young wolf and said, "Try swinging it at the Badniks next time. I know a good friend that put one of these to good use."

"I-I- I will!" said the wolf, "You're- you're really alive! I can't believe it!"

"Believe it!" Sonic told him, patting him on the shoulder before speeding off, "Nice talking to you!"

In another part of the village, a few mobians were trying to open up a heavy-looking door as more Badniks approached. "Hurry!" exclaimed a young cat.

"I'm trying!" yelled her friend, a blue bird, who was tugging at the doors, "It's stuck!"

A flash of blue, aqua, and silver suddenly appeared, destroying the robots. When the two mobians turned, the saw Alexis pulling her sword out of a broken Badnik. She turned to the two friends and asked, "Are you two okay?"

"Y-yeah," said the cat, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," said Alexis, "By the way, is there anyone else here that's helping to defend the town?"

"Yeah," said the bird, "Elias Acorn and a few other Freedom Fighters. Can't remember which ones, though."

"Where are they?"

"Probably at the Great Oak. That's where the main horde came in on the dropship. It's still there!" He pointed to the sky.

Alexis looked up to see an insect-like ship hovering in the sky, dropping Badniks. "Well, I guess that's where I'm going. You two stay safe now!" Alexis quickly darted off.

"Thank you!" they cheered.

**()**

Alexis and Sonic soon met up again a little ways away from the Great Oak where Alexis told her brother about what the two mobians said. "If we're going to stop this, we need to take out the source," said Alexis, pointing out the dropship.

"Then let's go help those Freedom Fighters," said Sonic, heading for the massive tree. "And I do recall that Sally mentioned that her brother was here in Knothole."

"Oh! Elias Acorn is Sally's brother?"

"Older, I think. He was missing for a while at the start of Eggman's threatenings. But then we found him and when he came back, King Max named him the heir to the throne. That made Sally happy, all she wanted to do was to lead the Freedom Fighters. It also kinda re-started our relationship. He also has a wife I think."

"When are you gonna get a move on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know..." Alexis puckered her lips and gave a kissy sound. Then she started whistling the wedding theme.

Sonic screeched to a halt and playfully smacked his sister on her aqua-colored crest. "I'm nineteen!" he exclaimed as she laughed, "Sally might be my age, but we are still too young to get married! Her dad would kill me!"

"Can you not take a joke?" Alexis was laughing hard, leaning on her sword.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny. When did you get my sense of humor?"

"Oh, so now you notice it."

The two of them finally arrived at the Great Oak, where Sonic grinned when he saw the Freedom Fighters. He recognized a lot of them, although one was unfamiliar to him.

A tall squirrel wearing a black jacket, black and white combat boots, and wielding a sword was standing back-to-back with a red armadillo wearing thick boots and heavy fighting gloves. A short distance away was a golden flying squirrel wearing flight goggles, a blue scarf, and blue and white gloves and shoes. Fighting next to him was a lemur waring a yellow-orange shirt, black and orange pants, and black, yellow, orange and white combat shoes and gloves. The lemur had a very flexible tail, which whipped around her, extending and shrinking easily. "You know them?" asked Alexis, whispering in his ear.

"Everyone except the lemur," he responded. "Tell you what, how about we take on the ship, give them a nice 'hello' present."

"Got it!" She sheathed her sword and grabbed him by the wrist. She quickly flew up into the air, pulling the blue hedgehog behind her. They flew straight into the ship, catching the next wave of Badniks off guard as they landed.

"Let 'er rip!" yelled Sonic.

Alexis' flames gathered in her hands, forming a massive ball as Sonic dealt with the Badniks that advanced towards her. "Get ready to jump!" she finally yelled at him. The sphere of fire launched into the air, destroying the ship as the two hedgehogs fell below. Alexis started to fly, but Sonic was quickly caught by the flying squirrel, who apparently noticed them.

"Thanks for the save, Ray!" he said.

"_Eep!_ No problem!" said the squirrel, dodging a few pieces of falling debrie.

Alexis nearly faltered when a piece hit her arm, but as she started to fall, a pair of strong arms caught her. "Need some help, miss?" came a slightly deep-toned voice. She looked up into the silver-blue eyes of the armadillo. "Thanks," she said as he landed with a thump, "that piece came out of nowhere."

"So, why is it whenever we meet up," asked the armadillo, turning to the landing Sonic, "You're always in some kind of trouble?"

"_Me_?" exclaimed Sonic. He and the armadillo locked hands as the hedgehog continued, "You're the one who was in trouble this time!"

"Oh please! I had it-!"

"Ahem! Boys!" The two of them turned to Alexis as she said, "How about we not get started on the rivalry right now, eh? All the robots have been dealt with and I need some serious introductions."

"Before that," said the armadillo. He grabbed Sonic and started giving him a noogie, saying, "Where have you been?"

"Long story! Let me go!" As the armadillo let him go, Sonic said, "I was on the Death Egg after Egghead's new henchman decided to take me on. To be fair, I wasn't prepared, but you should've seen Alexis! She was awesome when fighting Infinite!"

"Oh, come on!" Alexis blushed at the praise, rubbing her arm, "I wasn't that cool!"

"You were!" Sonic turned to everyone else and said, "Every time Infinite pulled up an illusion, boom! She just brushed it away with a flick of a hand! This girl is an artist!"

"And I assume she was also the one who saved your life?" asked the squirrel, sheathing his sword.

"Yup. On more than one occasion." He chuckled sheepishly. He straightened and said, "Alright, guys. I'd like you to meet my adopted little sister, Alexis Rey Hedgehog. You know, the girl I was telling you about? Alexis, I'd like you to meet Elias Acorn, Mighty the Armadillo, and his friend Ray the Flying Squirrel. And..." He turned to the lemur and said, "I don't know who you are."

"No problem! I'm Tangle!" said the lemur, introducing herself. Her tail stretched forward and shook Sonics and Alexis' hand as she said, "I've just recently been helping out here. Nice to meet you two!"

"So, the Death Egg?" asked Elias, shaking Sonic's hand, "At least you were alive."

"Yeah." Sonic looked at the ground uncomfortable for a few seconds, remembering his coma. His downcast expression faded when Ray decided to tackle him in a hug.

"It's really good to see you Sonic," said Ray. A few tears came out of his eyes as Sonic returned the hug.

"Ray was crying for a while when we heard that you... died," said Mighty, "I wasn't much better myself."

"Wait- you guys didn't get the news?" asked Alexis as she shook hands with Elias, "We did go by the Acorn Kingdom. Uncle Chuck was there."

"We've been under siege for a while," explained Tangle, "Badniks surround the whole entire forest, including Super Badniks. It's a miracle if you can make it through."

Alexis and Sonic looked at each other. They had made it through rather easily.

"Plus," added Elias, "Our communications network is down. We've been working on it for a while, but not much luck. Your dad didn't have much luck either," he said to Sonic.

"Are my parents okay?" asked Sonic.

"They took the news pretty hard," said Mighty, "Your mom is still trying to get over it."

Sonic gave a sigh and said, "Well, I'm no tech-head, but maybe I can find something."

"Me too," added Alexis, "I had a grandpa back on Earth who was a scientist. I picked up a few things. Maybe I can figure it out too."

"Hopefully," said Mighty as Ray finally let go of the blue hedgehog, "We are apparently really behind on news."

"Yup," agreed Alexis.

**()**

As the group entered the communications building, a few of the tech-heads looked up in shock when they saw Sonic. "We are apparently really behind on news," explained Elias, "Any luck?"

"Nothing," said a dog mobian, shaking his head slightly.

Alexis looked up at the computer they were working on, noticing the static that covered the screen. "So, what's the status?" she asked.

"The system is sound," said another one of the tech-heads, "It looks like the system is being interfered with, but we haven't found anything yet."

Alexis walked up to the computer and started typing equations in. The tech-heads repectfully stood back. Finally she said, "I'm no Tails, but it looks like short-range interference. Like, really short range. The scrambler has to be somewhere in the room."

"Then let's find it," said Sonic.

Everyone started searching the room, looking underneath chairs, checking behind other computers, and even checking the refrigerator. Nothing was found. Alexis looked around when her eyes settled on the air vent. _Up there, maybe?_ she thought to herself.

"Hey, Mighty? Can you give me a boost up to the vent?"

"Sure." Mighty cupped his hands and stood below the vent. Alexis steped into his hands and then onto his back. A few flames came out, unscrewing the screws that held the vent cover in place. As she lifted it back, she heard scuttling. "Oh no ya don't!" She reached in as more flames took the shape of a hand, reaching out until they grabbed something.

When she pulled it out, she gave a startled yelp and fell off Mighty. When everyone else looked, screams echoed around the room.

Now sitting on the floor where Alexis had dropped it, was a small doll that looked like Tails, a small red gem hanging from its forehead. Sonic instantly grabbed it, pulling off the gem and smashing it. "No creepy Godzilla monster for you!" he told it.

It struggled in its hands. "Uh... creepy Godzilla monster?" asked Alexis warily.

"Yup. This is Tails Doll. If you don't remove the big gem on its head, it goes all monster mode. Super hard to defeat. Mighty, if you would?"

The super-strong armadillo grabbed the doll and crushed it in his hands. When his hands moved away, a pile of cotton stuffing and robotic parts fell to the floor. "Why Eggman made something like that, I will never know," said Mighty, shuddering.

"Eggman has wierd tastes," said Alexis, eyeing the pile of parts warily.

One of the tech-heads gave a cheer as the static covering the screen faded. "We're back online! Whoa, we have a lot of missed calls."

"Well, that's finally over," said Tangle in relief, "Now I can call home and tell them I'm alright!"

"Speaking of home," said Elias. He turned to Sonic and said, "I think there's some people you need to see."

"Yeah," said Sonic. "C'mon Alexis. Let's go."

"Mind if we tag along?" asked Mighty.

"Not at all."

**()**

As everyone entered the house, Alexis looked around. The furnishings were simple- a few couches, a carpet, and a small table- and a few pictures dotted the walls of the room. Green curtains covered the round windows with small potted plants beneath them.

Elias nodded to Sonic before calling out, "Mr. and Mrs. Hedgehog? We're back! We brought a few people with us that you should probably meet!"

After a few moments, the sound of footsteps came from a hallway off to the left. As two hedgehogs rounded the corner, Alexis was left rather startled.

Sonic's mother looked rather normal. She had Sonic's dark blue fur and tan arms, and had bright blue eyes, although they appeared rather dim. A small lock of blonde hair covered the top part of her head, shading her eyes. She wore a short, dark purple dress with a matching belt. She also wore purple shoes and white gloves.

Sonic's father caught her off guard. Instead of a regualr mobian, she was facing a sliver and blue robot. A long piece of metal, much like hair, covered his red optics, which were visible on a black screen. His lower arms, lower legs, and chest were a dark blue, while his upper arms, upper legs, face and hands were silver. _*Elias? What is it?*_ he asked.

"Jules, Bernadette," said Elias. He stepped to the side, "Your son is home."

Jules' red eyes went wide in shock and Bernadette's hands flew up to her face. "S-sonic?" asked his mother.

Sonic nodded, tears coming to his emerald green eyes. "Hi mom. Hey pop," he said, "I'm home."

Bernadette rushed forward at the same time as her son, hugging him tightly. "Oh Sonic," she cried, tears streaming down her face as her son returned he hug, "We missed you so much!"

"I missed you both too," said Sonic. Tears were coming down his face as well. As a gentle metal hand touched his shoulder. He looked up into his father's metal face. "Hey dad," he said.

Jules smiled, then put his arms around both his son and his wife. The three of them sank to the floor together, happy tears coming from Sonic and Bernadette's faces while lubricant came down Jules' face.

After a few moments, Sonic untangled himself and pulled his parents to their feet. "Mom, Dad," he said. He pulled Alexis forward and said, "I'd like you to meet your new daughter, Alexis Rey Hedgehog. She helped to save my life."

Alexis looked at Sonic, then to his parents. She felt worried. Would they accept her? "Hi," she said shyly.

Bernadette walked up to her, gently placing a hand on her new daughter's shoulder. "Welcome to the family, Alexis," she said to her.

Alexis looked up, rather startled, then a relieved and happy smile spread across her face. She hugged her new mother as her new father came up to them and hugged her as well, pulling Sonic into the group as well. _*We're glad to have you with us, Alexis,*_ said the metal hedgehog.

"Thank you," she said, looking up at him, tears starting to come down her face. He wasn't like Mr. King at all. She finally had a new family.

She was finally home.

**And here is the first chapter. I'm sorry if I disappointed you with no Tails Doll boss fight, but I'm trying to focus less on fighting in this story. And I hope you liked the reunion between Sonic and his parents. I imagine a lot of you are confused as to why Jules is still roboticized. I'm following a little bit of the Archie Comic story line, where he was gravely wounded and put into the roboticizer to survive. In that, if he ever goes back to normal, he may die.**

**That issue may be resolved, though. Remember Alexis's gifts? ;)**

**R&R.**


	2. Time of Healing

**I decided to post this a day early because I'll be busy tomorrow. Plus, I'm kinda writing these chapters early. I try my best.**

Somewhere close to the Badnik hordes, a form watched the woodlands. _*Soon, Sonic,*_ it muttured, _*soon.*_

_[Evening- Knothole Village]_

That night in Sonic's home, laughter echoed through the air. The Hedgehog family and the Freedom Fighters that helped protect Knothole were enjoying dinner together. Alexis was busy talking to her mother with Elias and Tangle listening in on the conversation, and her father and Mighty having an arm wrestling competition with Sonic and Ray cheering on.

"That sounded like one heck of a battle," said Tangle, finishing up her food as Alexis finished her story, "Glad that Eggman's out of the picture."

"For now," said Elias, "Eggman always comes back. A lot of us know that for a fact." He stared at his plate, a slightly sour expression on his face.

"Well, we can at least be thankful that he's gone for now," said Bernadette as Mighty finally beat Jules.

_*Yup,*_ agreed her roboticized husband, _*And we can be glad that the war is over. Now we just need to get rid of those robots that are guarding the woods.*_

"Probably be able to do that soon," said Sonic, "For now, I think a break from all the action sounds nice."

"Who are you and what happened to Sonic?" joked Alexis.

"Hardee har har har," said Sonic, his hands on his hips, "Heroes can have breaks, you know. Right, Mighty?" He turned to his friend.

"True," said Mighty, "Expecially with that speed of yours."

"Oh, cute." Sonic's voice dripped in sarcasm.

Alexis and Jules burst out laughing at that statement, everyone else joining in after a few seconds, including the still-slightly offended blue hedgehog. After the laughter had died down, Bernadette stood up and said, "Alright, everyone. Plates in the sink and then get ready for bed."

"Awwwwww!" complained Tangle and Ray, looking up at the older hedgehog with pleading in their eyes.

"Those looks have never worked on me," said Bernadette, "Bed!"

"But I'm an adult!" protested both Mighty and Elias.

"And you all need your rest for tomorrow!" said the lady hedgehog, "Bed!"

Everyone gave mock groans of disappointment and left the room, Alexis and Sonic both hugging their parents. "Good night, Mom and Dad," said Alexis, hugging her father.

_*Good night, Alexis,*_ said Jules, hugging his new daughter fondly, _*Pleasent dreams.*_

After hugging her mother, both Alexis and Sonic headed to bed. "Those words must have felt strange," commented Sonic, knowing about how neglectful Mr. and Mrs. King had been to their adoptive daughter.

"They did," she said, nodding slightly, "But it feels nice."

Later on, as Sonic readied himself for bed, he remembered when Mr. and Mrs. King first came home...

_[Flashback]_

_Sonic stared up into the night sky, lying on top of the mansion roof. Hearing about Alexis's parents coming home had made him think about his own parents. He really hoped that they weren't worried too much about him._

_Just then, the door to Alexis's bedroom opened, only to be slammed shut. He sat up, crawling over to the edge of the roof and peering in. He was rather surprised to see the young girl sitting rather dejectedly on the edge of her bed, staring at her hands. Curious, he jumped down and entered her room._

_Alexis looked up as he entered. "Oh. Hey Sonic," she said, "Sorry if I woke you up."_

"_I wasn't asleep. It's okay." He hopped up onto the bed beside her as she looked down again, "Something wrong?"_

"_Not really," she told him, "Same old thing with my parents and traveling younger brother."_

"_Do you not like them?" asked the blue hedgehog._

"_Yeah." Alexis laid back on the bed and said, "My brother, even though he's younger than me, he keeps on teasing me. And my parents? They just pretty much ignore me, act like I'm not even there. And whenever they do? Well..." She sat up and turned towards Sonic again, and he was rather surprised to see that there was a slight red bruising there. "My dad abuses me."_

_Sonic stared at the spot in worry and reached forward. She took his hand. "It only stings a little bit," she assured him, "I've had worse."_

"_Does Chuck know?" asked Sonic._

"_No," said Alexis, "Never happens when he's there. He had to leave early this evening. When I tried to talk about how school was going, dad got up and said that they didn't care about whatever I did. Then he slapped me. Mr. Tanaka and Ella weren't there, so I just left."_

"_I doubt they're your real parents," said Sonic, a little heatedly, "Who would treat their own kid like that?"_

"_Yeah. I'd like to think that I'm adopted. It would explain a lot of things." She sat there in silence for a few minutes, then she asked, "Hey Sonic? Do you have any parents?"_

"_Yeah, I do." Sonic smiled as he thought of his parents, "They went missing for a while back when I was only a baby. After Eggman's first fall, we found them among the citizens that he had captured. I was really glad to finally meet them. My dad was pretty badly hurt, so he was put on a special medical treatment. If he tries to get out of it, though, he could die."_

"_I'm sorry," said Alexis, "But I'm glad you have a happy family."_

"_Yeah," said Sonic, smiling._

"_I wish I could meet them."_

"_Maybe you will," said Sonic, ruffling her black hair, "And if you do, we'll be glad to have you as part of the family."_

"_Really? Thank you!" She hugged Sonic and after a few moments, he returned the hug._

_A little sister. He rather liked the sound of that. It was rather lonely being an only child._

_[End Flashback]_

Sonic opened his eyes, finding himself staring at the photo that had been taken on earth. He stared at him and Alexis standing together, his arm wrapped around her human shoulder. There was a happy smile on her face, as if she was happy she was being included.

He smiled, then carefully exited the room, listening at the door to his sister's room. When there was no noise, he carefully entered. He froze when he saw Alexis in bed, already fast asleep. It had been a rather tiring day.

Sonic softly walked to her bedside, leaning down and gently kissing the top of her head. She shifted a little and gave a small happy sigh, a smile crossing her face. "Sweet dreams, little sis," he whispered. Then he left the room.

**()**

_[Knothole- a few days later]_

Uncle Chuck had managed to get past the robot blockade to get to Knothole, wanting to tell Jules and Bernadette about Sonic, as well as seeing what could be wrong with their communications system. They had been radio silent for quite some time. He also had a theory that he wanted to share with Jules.

When he reached the village, he was greeted by Mighty and Elias, who told him about Sonic and Alexis arriving a few days before. "They helped with our communication problem," explained Elias as they headed to the house, "Aparrently Tails Doll was hiding in one of the vents, but they took care of it."

"Glad to hear," said Chuck, "Why Eggman made a creepy Tails doppleganger is way beyond me."

"Same here," said Mighty, "Luckily we stopped it before it could go all monster mode on the town."

"So, why exactly are you here?" asked Elias.

"Well, I was going to tell Jules and Bernadette about their son being alive, but it appears Sonny-boy and Rey-girl beat me to it. But when I first met Alexis and I heard about her incredible healing powers, it got me thinking about Jules."

"What about him?" asked Mighty.

"I'll explain when we get to the house."

Soon enough, the three mobians reached the house, and when they entered, they couldn't help chuckling at the sight.

Alexis and Sonic were currently wrestling on the floor with their dad, the roboticized hedgehog easily beating the two of them(although it appeared that Sonic and Alexis were holding back). Ray and Tangle were cheering them on while their mother watched with an amused smile. At the sound of Uncle Chuck clearing his throat, everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Uncle Chuck!" cried the two hedgehog siblings. They lept off of the floor and hugged their uncle, who hugged them in return. "You managed to get past the blockade?" asked Sonic, moving back.

"Sure did," said Chuck, "Finally convinced Max to let me use that secret tunnel that ended in the woods. Still, it was a very close call."

_*We're just glad that you're alright,*_ said Jules, getting off the floor to shake hands with his brother, _*But what are you doing here?*_

"Well, I was going to tell you about Sonic being alive and him being with Alexis, but it appears that these two young 'uns beat me to it!" He ruffled the tops of their heads playfully.

"Then why are you still here?" asked Bernadette, joining them with Tangle and Ray.

"Let's sit down and I'll tell you."

As everyone sat down, Uncle Chuck asked, "Has Alexis and Sonic told you two about freeing Castle Acorn yet?"

"No, they haven't," said Elias, casting them a look.

"Hey! We were gonna get to that!" said Sonic, holding up his hands in defense.

"Well," said Chuck, continuing, "Sally had gotten hurt during that battle, and Alexis healed her pretty well. Not even a scar. She had even helped with the other injured citizens. Something about bullets in a young wolf's leg?"

"Uh, yeah," said Alexis, scratching the back of her head, "There were also some other serious injuries, but I helped to heal them."

"What does this have to do with Alexis?" asked Ray.

Chuck turned to Alexis and asked, "Do you know why Jules is still roboticized?"

"Because he was hurt really badly when he was captured by Eggman?" She remembered Sonic telling her about it.

"Yes. But with your healing skills..." He trailed off suggestively.

Jules and Bernadette perked up, staring at Chuck in shock. _*She could heal me when I get deroboticized?*_ asked Jules.

"I think so, Jules," said Chuck, "The old Deroboticizer is here, so all we have to do is test it out."

Everyone in the room had wide eyes. Then, Sonic turned to Alexis and asked, "Could you do it?"

Alexis thought for a few moments, then looked up. A bright blue fire shone in her eyes and it glowed brighter as she said, "Let's do it!"

**()**

_[Chuck's Lab]_

Everyone stood around the long cylindrical glass container that was the Deroboticizer, excitement sparking the air. Alexis was allowing a few flames to dance between her fingers as she watched Jules hug Sonic and Bernadette before stepping inside the container. When it sealed shut, he gave Chuck a thumbs-up.

"Right then," said Chuck, giving a nervous exhale, "Let's do this. Fingers crossed, everyone." He pulled the lever down on the consul in front of him.

Light and gas filled the chamber that Jules was in. The metal hedgehog closed his eyes as he vanished from sight. After a few moments, Chuck turned to Alexis. "Alexis! Now!"

Alexis raised her hands, allowing her flames to dart forward. They surrounded the deroboticizer, spiraling up around it. The chamber soon was filled with flames, mixing in with the gas and light that filled the chamber. After a few minutes, the light vanished and Alexis allowed her flames to die down.

She turned to Uncle Chuck. "Is he...?" she asked hesitantly. Everyone looked at Chuck, the same question in their minds.

"Let's see." Chuck pressed a few buttons, and the Deroboticizer chamber opened. Everyone shielded their eyes from the gas as it cascaded out. When Sonic lowered his arm, he saw the figure standing where the Deroboticizer had been and gave a shocked and happy gasp. Everyone turned and gasped as well.

Jules was once again a normal hedgehog, with dark blue fur and tan arms, resembling Sonic except for the bit of dark brown hair that rested above his green eyes. His white gloved hands covered his eyes from the sudden light as he stepped forward, wearing dark brown boots and a red vest, under which peeked his tan belly. As his eyes adjusted, he noticed everyone starring at him. "Well?" he asked, "Did it work?"

"How do you feel?" asked Chuck.

Jules looked at himself for a few seconds, then said, "All right."

Sonic and Bernadette rushed forward, hugging the now-normal hedgehog. His own arms circled around them, tears coming to his eyes. He was glad to be normal again. Alexis watched for a few seconds, then rushed forward, hugging her father. As Sonic and Bernadette stepped back, Jules hugged his daughter, lifting her up and whirling her around. "Thank you," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Your welcome, daddy," said Alexis, nuzzling her father's cheek. Sonic and Bernadette joined in on the hug, happy that the father of the family was back to normal.

"I never thought this day would come," whispered Chuck, wiping away the tears that trickled from his eyes.

"I think we're all glad that it did," said Elias, smiling at the happy scene in front of him.

**And Jules is back to normal! And a tiny peek at the villain that may appear at the end of the story.**

**R&R**


	3. You Will Know

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, SpiderDom! I'm doing a little more character time for a certain black hedgehog. And this is how the relationship so far is going- with neither one of them knowing how the other person is feeling about them.**

_[1 week later]_

Alexis walked alongside Mighty the Armadilo, helping to carry a long wooden beam towards one of the tall trees that formed some of Knothole's homes. As Mighty set the beam down, Alexis looked at the trunk of the tree. She pointed upwards, saying, "Badnik must've hit it on one side. A large part of the tree's caved in. Bit of a dent."

"Then let's get to work," said Mighty, tugging on his gloves slightly as he looked up the tree, "We've got a lot of work to do today."

Alexis raised her hands, allowing a few flames to swirl into a platform. Mighty grabbed the beam and stepped on, allowing Alexis to lift him upwards. As he set the beam against the damaged part, Alexis had her flames wrap around the tree trunk and the beam. After a few moments, the scarred part of the tree vanished as the beam melded into the wood.

"That is really handy," said Mighty as Alexis sat him back down on the ground, "How exactly do you do it?"

"Honestly?" she sighed, "I really don't know. Tails said something about my flames being able to change things at the molecular level, or whatever geeky stuff he was spouting off. I might be a former veternarian, but when it comes to major science, I'm like a mixture of Knuckles and Sonic. Goes in one ear and comes out the other." She gave a sheepish giggle.

Mighty laughed. "In all honesty, I'm like that too! So... anything caught your eye lately? Like anything or anyone on Mobius?"

"Well, I was pretty surprised with how many time-traveling adventures that Sonic has had! He even has a friend from the _future_!"

"Kinda surprised me too," said Mighty, shrugging, "What do you think of my old Chaotix buddies?"

"Vector, Espio and Charmy?" asked Alexis. When he nodded, she said, "I think they're pretty cool. They didn't exactly leave a good first impression on me back on Earth."

"Sonic told me about that. Kidnapping Cream?" He burst out laughing, the female hedgehog joining in. "What about your squad mates? Squad H they were called?"

"Pretty cool guys," said Alexis, "Kobara gave me a few tips with an Extreme Gear even though I can fly. Uncle Chuck and Dad are working on making one for me. Hopscotch was a little bit of a leader himself. Ought to reccomend him to Sally to lead a team. Chromia and Gadget are really brave kids too. Chromia isn't afraid to pick on somebody not her own size and Gadget has a lot of heart. All those guys are really great."

Mighty nodded. "They sound like a great team. But what do you think of Team Dark?"

"In all honesty, only Shadow could pick a name like that. Rouge would probably have chosen 'Team Jewelry' or something girly. Omega's a really good fighter, even for a former Eggman robot. But Shadow? He really does deserve a team like them. And I wasn't expecting Shadow to be on Mobius either! I really missed him too."

Mighty looked to the side to see Alexis looking off into the distance with a fond look in her mismatched blue eyes. His own turquoise eyes widdened when it struck him.

"Oh sweet Mobius... you're in love with him, aren't you?"

Alexis snapped back to reality, whirling around to see a grinning Mighty. "Uhhhh... why do you say that?"

"Ah, so you don't deny it!" cheered Mighty, "You are in love with him!"

The blush on Alexis's cheeks was as bright as Knuckles fur. "Just... don't say anything to the others, expecialy Sonic! He'll go all protective brother on me! And I don't think Shadow knows about how I feel about him, or if he even feels the same way about me! And I-!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Slow down!" said Mighty, holding up his hands. When she had quieted down, he placed them on her shoulders and said, "My old mentor, Moss, told me that we should always take things one step at a time. Never speed things up or 'jump the gun' as some Mobians like to say."

Alexis looked up at him and nodded. "But... what do I do?"

"Just one step at a time. That's what I did, and that's what you can do too."

Neither of them realised that a long ways away, a similar conversation was going on...

**()**

_[Former Resistance HQ- Now WRE(War Recovery Effort)_

Shadow sat on the balcony railing, looking off across the ruined city of Sunset Heights. Or mostly ruined now. The city was looking much better with the rebuilding going on. But he couldn't really take the stares that many of the returning citizens had been giving him. It was going to take a long time before the world fully trusted him again. He wished it would come sooner, and easier.

He gave a sigh, thinking of a certain blue-black hedgehog that was possibly currently in Knothole Village. He had been around Rouge for a long time, but he didn't really get the feelings from her that he got from Alexis. Alexis was... he didn't know how to put it.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Shadow jumped, turning around to the doorway. Rouge was leaning against the doorway, a small smile on her face. "What's a penny?" asked Shadow as the bat joined him.

"Human currency," she said, "The term is as Earth term. So anyway, what's bugging you? And..." She looked down off the railing. They were at least five stories up. "...Aren't we a little to close to the edge?"

"I've fallen out of outer space and jumped out of planes higher than this. Heights don't scare me," he told her, rolling his red eyes."

Rouge chuckled. "Just saying."

Shadow looked away, but not far enough for Rouge not to see the look on his face. He looked... contemplative? Sad? Lonesome? Love-sick? Wait a sec.

"Shadow? Are you in love with somebody? You've got the look that Amy had before she decided to stop chasing Sonic."

Shadow looked to the side to see Rouge staring up at him with a slighty expectant look with a small amount of shock added in. He looked at her for a few seconds before looking out at the city again. "Um..."

"You are!" she cheered. She couldn't believe it! Shadow, of all people, had fallen in love! She sort of expected it with Knuckles, and she knew that Tails had an eye on a certain cream-colored fox in the city, whose eye she was returning. And Amy was taking an interest in a bright green hedgehog that loved smashing stuff as much as she did. Even Silver had fallen in love with a firey princess from a different dimension! And she was in love right back, even though both of them refused to admit it!

But _Shadow_? This had 'getting-struck-by-Cupid's-arrow' written all over it. It was just impossible! "Who is it? Who? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

"You don't know?" he asked in very slight amusement.

Rouge thought for a few seconds, then she remembered who had hugged Shadow... and he had returned the hug.

"No way. Alexis Rey Hedgehog? Sonic's new little sister? That's who you're in love with?" She glanced over to the side to see Shadow blushing very slightly. She nearly burst out laughing when she saw it. He, Shadow the Hedgehog, was blushing! "You know, for an artificially created hedgehog, I didn't think you could blush," she commented.

He turned to her. "Don't. Say. A word to her," he said, a slight growl in his voice.

Rouge held up her hands. "Alright. I won't." As he returned to silence, she asked, "Why do you love her?"

"I..." he started, but trailed off. He didn't know how to say it. "She's done so much for me. She helped me remember Maria's promise. She helped me to... open up. To feel. I owe her so many things.

"But... I don't know if she thinking the same thing. I don't know if she loves me back. I don't..." He sighed and asked, "How do I tell her what I feel?"

"Shadow."

The black hedgehog looked over at Rouge as she said. "It's just one step at a time. That's all it takes. Besides, in my opinion, I think she loves you right back."

"You really think so?" he asked.

"I know so! She's what? Hugged you like twice?"

"I think so," said Shadow.

"Besides," said Rouge, "She might be thinking the same things about you right now."

"Then how do I tell her?" he asked.

"When the time is right," said Rouge, "That's when you do it."

"Shadow! Rouge!"

The two members of Team Dark turned to see Knuckles standing at the doorway to the room. "You guys are needed in Downtown Sunset Hill. Hopscotch says that there's a lot of collapsed building over there."

"Alright," said Rouge.

As Knuckles left, Shadow turned to Rouge and asked, "You love him, don't you?"

She turned in mock surprise. "Why Shadow! Is that a teasing air I detect around you?" she asked. "Come on! Let's get downtown."

She quickly took off, heading for downtown. Shadow looked after her for a few seconds, then closed his eyes and smiled. He needed that talk.

He quickly jumped off the railing and headed for downtown as well.

**()**

"So, what do you like about him?"

Alexis looked over at Mighty before thinking to herself. "He's... nice. Kind. Able to take a beating and willing to stand up for others. And he was willing to accept the blame that his Ruby Clones did. He spent so long in trying to take them out, and protected me and Sonic when we were about to get killed. He's just... always there."

"Why are you not sure that he doesn't like you in return?" asked Mighty.

"Because he's, like, way older than me! He's the hedgehog version of Captain America, except he was asleep for fifty years and not seventy. Comic book superhero from Earth," she quickly said at Mighty's confused look.

"He's also incredibly powerful, being able to control Chaos Energy. He might think that he's too dangerous to be around people that he doesn't completely trust or that don't trust him."

"And you don't trust him?" asked Mighty.

"Of course I trust him!" said Alexis, "I'm just worried that he might not trust me! What do I tell him? When do I tell him?"

"Um..." Mighty paused here. He didn't know completely how to handle this. This was rapidly turning into a girl situation. "I'm not too sure here."

"Maybe I could ask my Mom?" asked Alexis.

"Yeah. That'd probably do."

"Well, thanks anyway Mighty," said Alexis.

"Anytime. So, should we help with the reconstruction a bit more?"

"Alright! Let's go."

But throughout the day, Alexis's mind couldn't help but go back to the conversation that she had with Mighty.

What should she tell Shadow? When should she tell him?

**()**

_[Knothole- evening]_

As Bernadette was getting ready for bed, she suddenly heard a knocking at her door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Mom."

Bernadette crossed over to the door and opened it to reveal Alexis, already dressed in her pj's. "Can I... talk to you?" she asked.

"Of course." Her mother held open the door and allowed Alexis to come in and sit on the bed. "Is something wrong?"

Alexis looked at her hands, sitting on her lap, before telling her mother about the conversation she had with Mighty. She told her mother about what she had been feeling about Shadow and how she wasn't sure how he was feeling about her.

"What do I tell him?" she finally finished, "And when do I?"

Bernadette looked at her daughter for a few seconds, a gentle understanding look in her eyes. She got up from the chair that she had been sitting in and sat next to her daughter. "These kind of things you can only figure out with you heart," she told her, "What you'll tell him? You'll know when that time comes. When it will happen? You'll know that part too. You do love him, but wait for him to share his feelings first. But just know that whatever he says, you have to be okay with, alright?"

Alexis looked at her mother for a few seconds, then nodded. "Okay," she said, "I think I can wait."

"That's my girl," said Bernadette. She wrapped her daughter in a hug and Alexis returned it. "I love you Alexis."

"I love you too, Mom," said Alexis.

"Hop into bed now," said Bernadette, "It's past your bedtime."

Alexis giggled slightly and exited the room. She nearly bumped into her father and hugged him goodnight as well. Jules smiled and hugged his daughter before she went down the hall to her room.

He entered his own and asked, "What was that all about?"

"Girl talk," Bernadette told her restored husband, "Nothing boyish."

"Oh," said Jules, nodding. He figured out what she meant.

**I think I'm going to be having Alexis make a lot of pop-culture references from Earth throughout the series. Kinda enhances her personality, don't you think? And what do you think of Alexis' and Shadow's relationship so far? They're far apart, they love each other, and they don't know what the other feels. Reminds me of something, but I can't think what.**

**R&R**


	4. The Enemy Revealed

**This is pretty much part one of the finale of **_**Where I Belong**_**. Now we're getting to the epic final battle. And trust me, this will be a seat-hanger.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. I only own Alexis. All other properties belong to SEGA.**

_[2 weeks later]_

_*Alexis, you need to get over here!*_

Alexis jolted from her seat, one of the tree branches high up on the Great Oak, and nearly fell. She caught herself in time and raised her wrist up, where one of her bracelets was flashing. "Sonic? What is it?" she asked.

_*Tangle and a few others were investigating the robot blockade. They came back pretty shredded. You're needed over here now!*_

"On my way!" Alexis quickly hung up and lept off the branch. Flames surrounded her and lifted her up. She quickly rushed over to the medical buildings that were on the other side of the village, close to the entrance. When she finally landed and got in, her eyes widened in shock.

Tangle had gone out with a small squad of about five. Now, she had come back with about two, both of them covered in deep slashes and cuts, one with a rather large wound in his leg. Tangle wasn't in very good condition herself, her gray fur stained red and Mighty holding her down as she jerked in pain. There was a rather large slash across her left eye and there were more slashes across her legs and arms. Her tail was thankfully in one piece, but the fur was torn and cut as well.

Alexis shook herself back to her senses. She grabbed a nearby med-kit and handed it to the nearby Uncle Chuck. "Pull out some gauze and put it on that kid's leg. Sonic, do the same for the other guy. I'll tend to Tangle, she's pretty bad." With that, she strode over to the lemur and summoned her flames to her hands.

Tangle gave a relieved sigh as the flames gently started closing her wounds and she stopped jerking. "Whoa," she sighed, "I never realized how effective that was. Thanks."

"Don't mention it," said Alexis, gently tending to some cuts on her shoulder.

As soon as Tangle was taken care of, Alexis turned to the young soldier with the hole in his leg. While she treated him, she heard Elias ask, "Tangle, what exactly happened to you?"

Tangle shook her head. "I'm still not sure," she admitted, "I didn't exactly get a good look myself. All I could tell was that it was fast and... blue."

Sonic looked up at that from his position. "Fast and blue?" he asked, "Could it have been Metal Sonic?"

"Maybe," said Tangle, "It felt like metal, with what hit me. And I did see some silver."

"I managed to get a good look, though," said the young rabbit that Sonic was treating, "It looked like Metal Sonic, but it was taller. The quills were longer and more pointed and were silver as well as blue. He also looked like he was wearing some kind of coat around his legs."

Sonic's eyes widened. He looked at the soldier, then turned to Tangle. "Were you suddenly fighting something that was like your tail?" he asked.

Alexis looked up at the tone of his voice. It sounded like it was in between horror and desperate hope. And not 'oh my best friend is alive' kind of hope.

Tangle thought for a few seconds, then said, "I... I think so. At least when I was fighting whatever it was, when it whipped by me, a few seconds later something wrapped around me and carried me with it. Almost like my tail."

Uncle Chuck looked worried as well. "That sounds like..." he muttered, trailing off.

Sonic finished his uncle's sentence. "Neo," he snarled, "I thought Eggman offlined that creep."

"Neo?" asked Alexis, "Who's Neo?"

"Neo Metal Sonic," replied Sonic, "Possibly one of the toughest versions of Metal Sonic that I've had to fight. Actually betrayed Eggman and when he gets enough power, he transforms into this huge metal dragon."

"First Tails Doll has this creepy Godzilla mode that I haven't seen," said Alexis, rolling her eyes, "And now you're telling me that Metal Sonic has this evil dragon mode? What is with Eggman's taste? And here I thought that windy whirly bird thing and the Eggsterminator looked ridiculous enough!"

"Well, unlike the other Metal Sonics," said Sonic, "this guy is no pushover. He's actually really smart _and_ really dangerous."

"I think I remember you telling us about him," said Mighty, "Weren't you fighting him when Shadow showed up again and joined Team Dark?"

Sonic nodded as Alexis asked, "How hard is he to beat?"

"Really hard," said Sonic, "The main thing that makes it hard to defeat him is that he has the ability to copy powers. My speed, Mighty's strength. It looks like he already added Tangle's tail and flexibility to his powers. And like I said before, if he gets enough power, he turns into a huge metal, dragon-like creature. Only way to defeat that is to have the Chaos Emeralds and go Super. At least that's how me, Tails, and Knuckles did it."

"Ah," said Alexis, now looking thoroughly shocked. Apparently this was serious. "And he's the one in charge of the robot blockade?"

"Apparently," said Elias, "He must have been waiting for Sonic to show up and rescue his family."

"That would explain why we made it through the blockade pretty easily," said Sonic, "and I wouldn't put it past Neo to try and do that."

"Then let's go and get this creep!" said Mighty, pounding his fists together.

"Yeah!" agreed Ray.

"We will," said Sonic. "Except you." He looked towards Alexis.

"_What?_ Why?" protested Alexis.

"Did I mention that he copies powers?" asked Sonic, "He gets his hands on your fire-reality-bending powers, plus with all the rest of our powers, he'd be unstoppable! I doubt even you could defeat him."

"I defeated Infinite, didn't I?' asked Alexis, crossing her arms huffily.

"In your _Phoenix_ form," added Sonic, "And if you haven't noticed, we're low on Chaos Emeralds."

"But Sonic, I can help! I know I can!" she protested.

"I know you can!" he told her. "It's just..." He gave an angry sigh and rubbed the back of his head.

Uncle Chuck looked at the two of them. "Ummm... who hasn't had a break yet?"

"But we're-" started Ray, only for Mighty to interrupt him. "Yeah, I think a break would be good!" said the armadillo. Everyone, including Tangle and the two soldiers, quickly left the room, leaving the two hedgehogs along.

Alexis looked at her brother. "What? It's just what?" she asked.

Sonic looked up at her. "Back on earth," he said, "I nearly lost you several times. I was forced to leave you behind for almost four years. I just..." He stopped again and gave an aggravated sigh.

Alexis looked at her brother, remembering...

_[Flashbacks- the Eggsterminator]_

"_I'm getting to Sonic," she said. Then, she tossed herself over the edge, much to everyone's shock._

_Alexis let the Chaos Emeralds drop out of her arms as she felt Rouge grab her. "Well, there goes my new jewelry." she heard the bat say, then they both yelped as Eggsterminator's hand shot out and grabbed the two of them._

_Alexis' world was quiet for a while as they struggled to break free. She could faintly hear Rouge talking and yelling as wind started rippling around them in the confined space. And through the cracks of the hand, the light outside started getting brighter._

"_What the-" she heard Rouge start to say, but it was quickly cut off as the hand gripping them became a little tighter. Then, it suddenly shattered, and Alexis opened her eyes slightly as Rouge grabbed onto her again. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar figure._

_It was Sonic, floating in the air in front of her, his fur now a brilliant gold and his eyes an amber brown. A brilliant shimmering yellow aura surrounded his body, and his quills floated upwards behind him, forming a sort of crown. His familiar cocky smile was still there and he wasn't hurt anymore._

_As the Eggsterminator's good hand tried smashing on top of him, a bright light flashed. When it cleared, Sonic was holding back the hand with one of his own. "Well, Knuckles," he said to himself, "Your wish came true, but I've got some unfinished business. Take this, Eggman!" He sped forward and slashed through the machine, splitting it to pieces..._

_[Space Colony ARK]_

_Alexis stood beside Shadow, staring out the window, worry and fear building up inside her. Sonic must be worried sick about her right now. Was he even okay?_

_For a brief moment, her reflection changed. Instead of a blue-haired girl with aquamarine streaks and wearing a blue shirt and black jeans, there was a blond-haired girl wearing a short sky blue dress._

Maria?

_Then, there came a massive explosion outside. Shadow said something about Sonic being dead. She ran._

Sonic can't be dead!_ she thought desperately._ He can't be!

_She refused to believe that her brother was dead..._

_[Lake- Sonic's Goodbye]_

_Suddenly, something wet struck her cheek. Her eyes opened and she looked at Sonic. Drops of water were coming from in front of him. No, not water... tears._

_Sonic, the toughest person that she had ever met, was crying._

_Tears started to come from her eyes. She clung to Sonic tighter and whispered his name as their tears mingled together. "Sonic..."_

_[End Flashbacks]_

"You don't want to lose me."

Sonic looked up as Alexis walked forward, standing in front of him. Her mis-matched blue eyes stared into his vibrant green emerald ones. She finally hugged him, her head resting next to his. Sonic froze for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around her as well. "I nearly lost you too," she whispered, "For me it was six years. I nearly lost you to the Eggsterminator, Chaos, the Ark... I almost lost you to Infinite, too. I don't want to lose you again either."

"I know," he said. "but I can't take the chance that I'll lose you again. And there's something else. If Neo-"

"Don't." She looked back at him, grasping his arms, "Don't say that."

He grasped her arms also. "_If_ Neo does defeat us," he said, "A very big 'if', he may decide to attack Knothole. Someone needs to defend the village in case that happens. And there's no one that I can think better to do the job than you."

Alexis looked at her brother, then gave a shy nod. She hugged him again and said, "I will. Just... promise me that you will come back."

Sonic held her tightly, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to take over his eyes.

"I'll try."

**()**

_[A few hours later]_

Alexis sat in her room, sitting on the edge of her bed. She was looking down at her blue-black and aquamarine hands, frustration and worry building up inside of her. She wanted to help her brother! But if she went, Neo Metal Sonic could get even more powerful! She was stuck and didn't know what to do.

A gentle knock at the door made her look up. "C-come in," she called out.

The door opened, revealing Jules. "You didn't go?" asked her father.

"More like couldn't," said Alexis. She gave an angry sigh and explained. "Sonic says that Neo can copy anyones powers. And if he gets a hold of mine, he'd probably be virtually unstoppable. So, I'm the third wheel that gets left behind this chapter." She gave an angry sigh, burrowing her head in her hands.

Jules sat next to her on her bed. "I know you're worried," he told her.

"Worried is an understatement," she said, "I'm downright terrified for them! I don't even know if they'll make it back alive! And if Neo does come to the village, he'll just get my powers anyways! There's nothing that can stop that!" she looked down, tears threatening to come out of her blue dual-colored eyes. "I'm scared."

"Everyone gets scared." Alexis looked up at him as her father continued, "Even Sonic. He's scared about losing you. He's scared to lose his friends and family. But sometimes what he can't see through his fear is that there is always another way." He stood, kissing her on the head and prepared to leave the room.

At the doorway, he paused and looked back at her. "That's why its always up to other people to find the other door for him." And then he left.

Alexis looked at the closed door for a short while, then stood up and started to pace. Another way, there was always another way. But what was that way? She wasn't sure and couldn't see it either. then she remembered what Mr. Tanaka said to her whenever she got frustrated.

"_Meditation relaxes an agitated mind."_

Alexis stopped pacing. She sat on the floor and crossed her legs. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, trying to relax her mind. If meditation could help, she might as well try it.

_I need to see the other door,_ she thought to herself, _How can I help my brother and his friends? What's the other path?_

_**To just go.**_

The new 'voice' made Alexis's eyes snap open. She swiftly stood up, looking around her room. "Who's there?" she asked, flames gathering at her fingertips.

_**Someone... and no one.**_

"That's... not really an answer."

_**But it is the answer you will get for the time being... Now you wish to help your brother and his friends?**_

"Yes," said Alexis, "But I don't know how. Neo Metal Sonic could easily turn my powers against me."

_**What makes you think he can do that?**_

"Because Sonic says that he can."

_**But what makes you think he can do that to you?**_

"Well-" The 'voice' made Alexis stop and think. Was the 'voice' really saying..?

She made up her mind there and then. She knew what she had to do. She quickly headed to the door. Before leaving, she turned. "Um... thank you?" she said tentatively to the air.

The 'voice' didn't respond back, but she imagined it said "Your welcome". At least she would.

**Aaaaaaannnnndddd... I'm gonna leave you all on a cliffhanger. The 'voice' is like one of those silent voices that Sora hears in 'Kingdom Hearts'. It doesn't really have a tone, it's just there. I don't play the games, but I do watch all the cutscenes, so I know the general storyline and what happens.**

**One other thing that I can say about the 'voice', it will have a major roll in the later stories.**

**R&R! Pleaseeeeeeee... I kinda crave feedback.**


	5. A Dark Battle

**Once again, we are starting to reach the end of an epic story. Thank you guys so much for your reviews and for reading this story. And this was meant to be a short story, for those of you that are confused. And for those of you that wanted more fighting in this story... you're definitely gonna get some here.**

**And Alexis... well, before I start spoiling stuff, let's get on to the chapter!**

Sonic the Hedgehog stood at the edge of the woods wit the rest of the Knothole Fighters. Tangle was looking around at the clearing in front of them. "That's where we were attacked," she confirmed.

"Well then," said Sonic, pulling on the edges of his gloves, "let's give Neo some nice payback, shall we?" Everyone nodded. And with that, they stepped out of Knothole Woods.

Instantly, blasters started firing at them. Everyone stood behind Mighty as the armadillo turned his hard shell towards the direction of the blaster fire. The bullets bounced off of his hard shell. "The times when you're grateful for a hard shell," he remarked.

"Indeed," said Tangle. Her tail whipped out from the cover, smaking into the robots and knocking them over.

As soon as the blaster-fire ceased, Mighty turned around. Sonic was the first one who stepped forward. "Alright!" he called out, "Where's Neo Metal Sonic? We have a date to finish!"

_*Then it will be a date to die for.*_

Everyone turned their heads slightly. There, standing in front of a massive Badnik horde with several Egg Hammers and other Super Badniks, was a familiar blue metal hedgehog. "Neo," greeted Sonic, "ready to continue our last dance?"

_*Always.*_ said Neo.

The upgraded version of Metal Sonic was at least a foot taller than his rival, with tall, pointed blue and silver quills. His blood-red optics glared menacing at Sonic. Little bits of yellow, silver, and blue coloring peeped out from the long, flowing trench coat that was attached to his shoulders and flowed back behind his black and silver legs.

"Don't look very different," commented Sonic.

_*Do you remember these?*_ Neo extended his arm and suddenly whipped it forward. It extended rapidly, the claws on the end of it seeming to grow as well.

"MOVE!" yelled Elias. Everyone jumped to the side as the claw slammed into the ground where they had been standing a moment previously. As they recovered, Sonic quipped, "Nope. But then again, I thought your arms were supposed to be beefier."

_*How much can I say about you, matchstick?*_ gloated Neo.

Sonic's eyes widened. He looked down at his long arms and declared, "Oh, its on!"

And with that, the battle began.

Sonic sped forward, crashing into Neo and locking hands with him, Neo claws scratching his white gloves. Mighty surged forward, racing behind Neo and curling into a spin-ball, smashing into Neo's back. As the andriod's head turned, Mighty slammed his fist into its faceplates. Neo fell back, letting go of Sonic. The hedgehog nodded to his friend and curled up into a spin-dash. Mighty grabbed him, chucking him at Neo as it looked up. Sonic slammed into the andriod's middle, causing it to fall over.

"How did that feel?" gloated Sonic.

Neo stayed still for a short while, then looked up, his red eyes flashing silver for a short second. _*Lifeform data: Sucessfully copied.*_

"Oh yeah," said Sonic nervously. "Nearly forgot you could do that."

"And what does that mean?" asked Mighty.

His question was answered as Neo suddenly surged forward as fast as Sonic, before flooring the two with a massive punch. Sonic rolled over with a groan, looking at his friend. "That answer your question?"

"I wish it didn't."

The fight with the others was actually going pretty well. Tangle was whipping her tail among several of the smaller Badniks. As soon as a good amount was wrapped in her tail, she yanked hard. They quickly vanished in an explosion of light.

"Whoo!" she cheered, examining her scorched and blackened tail. "And ow. Whoo and Ow!"

"Head up!" Ray quickly smashed into the Badnik that treatened to shoot her with a spin-ball. Then he grabbed her hand and took off into the air as an Egg Hammer slammed into the ground where they had been a moment previously.

"Thanks Ray!" said Tangle.

"You're welcome!" he called back. "Want me to drop you off?"

"Sure thing!"

Ray let her go, allowing the lemur to land on top of the Egg Hammer. As it reached up to grab her, her tail whipped out, snagging the arm. She raced several times around the neck until her tail was wrapped around the Egg Hammer. She started pulling on her tail, pulling the Super Badnik's fist down until it smashed against its own head. She lept off as it exploded in a shower of light. "Never hit yourself, kids!" she called out as Ray quickly caught her again.

Elias Acorn was actually managing to hold his own very well. In one hand he held his sword while in the other hand he held a shimmering blue sword, courtesy of his Ring-Blade. He was a pinwheel of light as he cut among the lower ranking Badniks, slashing almost all of them to pieces. As the last two tried to get away, he lept through the air, stabbing his swords into their heads.

A Super Badnik quickly approached him. He spun around rapidly, his blue sword enlonging in length until it was almost as tall as the Super Badnik. With an angry yell, he slashed forward, completely cutting the Super Badnik in half, which caused a domino effect for the rest of the Super Badniks. "And that was for the Acorn Kingdom," he snarled as his sword shrank back down.

Tangle and Ray landed beside him. "Whoa," commented Tangle, looking at the destroyed robots, "Overcompensate much?" she asked. Elias shrugged.

"Heads up!"

The three fighters turned, narrowly dodging Neo's enlengthened arm as it tried to claw them. The three of them rushed forward to join Mighty and Sonic. Mighty already had a few cuts on his arms and his back was dusty. Sonic had a cut over his eye which was bleeding slightly. "I'll be fine," he said at Elias' curious glance, "We need to tae care of this guy now."

"How can we when he just got the rest of our powers?" asked Elias as a sword formed on Neo's left arm and for a brief moment, shimmering holographic membrane formed underneath his outstretched right arm.

"We'll do it," said Sonic, "we just need to be smarter than him."

_*You will not suceed,*_ said Neo, _*I have gained all of your powers. What makes you think that you can succeed?*_

"Because good always triumphs over evil," said Sonic, "It took us a while with the war, but we won in the end."

_*If it weren't for your friend,*_ added Neo. _*Where is she? Was she too afraid to come? Or were you too afraid to let her?*_

Sonic's gaze hardened. "You leave her alone," he snarled.

_*Oh,*_ said Neo, _*Have I struck a soft spot? How about after I finish beating you and your friends into the ground, I take your broken body to Knothole Village? I'm fairly certain that she'll love to see you dead. Not like you haven't seen her dead. I saw what Eggman had Infinite do to you. Saw her broken body lying in front of Eggman? How would she react when she sees you in front of me?_

_*Yesssss... as soon as I am done with you, I'll pay her a visit myself!*_

That definitely pushed Sonic's 'Don't Test Me' button.

He gave an angry yell of rage and lunged forward, his hands curled into fists. To everyones, except Neo's, shock, his bright blue fur turned a dark navy blue. Dark energy surged around him as his green eyes turned white. "Oh no," said Elias in horror.

"Uh, what's that?" asked Tangle in worry.

"Mighty?" asked Ray.

Mighty's gaze had hardened. "Dark," he said. "Whenever Sonic is under extreme pressure or is very angry, the Chaos Energy that is stored in his body turnes him Dark. According to Knuckles, it's just about as powerful as his Super form, maybe even stronger. And it's very hard to defeat. Unless..." His eyes suddenly widened in realization. He looked over at the two fighting hedgehogs, one made of glinting metal, the other pulsing out waves of dark energy. "He's fighting himself," he whispered. This just got bad.

"SONIC, STOP! IT'S WHAT HE WANTS!"

As Dark Sonic turned, Neo said the dreaded words; _*Lifeform data: Successfuly copied.*_ The Metal Sonic raised its hand.

For a brief moment, Sonic's eyes turned back to green. "Guys! Move!" he yelled to the team, but it was too late.

A wave of dark energy surged from Neo's hand. Everyone screamed as they were launched backwards. Sonic turned to Neo, sending off a burst of energy of his own, sending Neo backwards. With that over, the hedgehog landed, his fur returning to normal. He rushed over to his friends, kneeling beside the comatose Mighty. He checked for a pulse and gave a sigh of relief when he felt one.

Neo got back up. _*A shame,*_ he droned, causing Sonic to freeze, _*Now you have no one to back you up. What happened to your "Super-power of teamwork" that you were always going on about in our last battle? What will you do now that your 'team' is gone?*_

Sonic stood, his hands clenched. "I'll tell you what," he said in a dangerous tone. "I'll do what I always do. Even if..." His fur turned dark again and when he turned towards Neo, his eyes were white. _"I have to become Dark to protect those I love!"_

Dark Sonic sped towards Neo, waves of dark energy blasting from his hands. Neo raised a hand, deflecting the dark energy. A wave of dark energy surged from Neo's own hands. Dark Sonic quickly grabbed it. It morphed into a dark version of a jagged sword, which he swung at Neo.

Neo's hands formed into swords surrounded by dark energy. He quickly deflected the staff and swung out. The two of them fought, trying to cut each other to ribbons. Whenever a hit was scored on Sonic, the dark energy in his body sealed the wounds. Whenever a hit was scored on Neo, the metal hedgehog's own dark energy sealed the wounds.

For a long time, the dark duel continued, neither one of them letting up or showing a sign of stopping. But one thing that Mighty didn't mention to his friends was that unlike Sonic's Super form, his Dark form didn't last as long as it. And Sonic remembered that when the dark sword suddenly vanished from his grip. He barely dodged a swing from Neo and floated in the air. The two hedgehogs floated tere in the air, looking at each other. Sonic was breathing heavily while Neo didn't appear to be tired at all.

_*Nothing is too powerful that I cannot absorb,*_ said Neo to his rival. _*Even your so-called 'Dark' form. You call that power? I call it nothing. Something for you to fall back on whenever you have a temper-tantrum! Whenever you feel that you have to hit something! The power that you wield should never have belonged to you in the first place!*_

"_Well, there's a reason that I have it,"_ said Dark Sonic, _"because if someone like Eggman had it, they wouldn't use it right. I have it, and it's my responsibility! I wasn't able to save my world when Eggman conquered it the first time! NEVER AGAIN!"_

The two of them surged forward, eager to continue their fight...

**()**

Boots pounded on the forest floor, wind rushing past.

She had felt the surge of power. She had to hurry...

**()**

Sonic stood back from Neo, floating in the air. He didn't realize that his dark hands were starting to regain their regular coloring and his eyes were starting to turn green again. Neo noticed. It gave a small hum and stood still.

Dark Sonic took that as an invitation. He surged forward with a scream of anger...

...only for his coloring to return to normal and for Neo's metal fist to connect with his stomach.

Sonic screamed in pain as Neo suddenly took off around Sonic. Cuts and bruises suddenly started appearing on Sonic's body as he was tossed through the air like a ragdoll. Finally, with one last punch, Sonic was sent to the ground.

A massive plume of dust burst into the air. When it cleared, Sonic was revealed to be on his back. He was breathing heavily as a few cuts slowly trickled blood. He managed to get on his hands and knees as Neo landed.

Sonic looked up, wincing from the blood that trickled into his eye. "Be done with it then," he hissed.

Neo's hand turned into a sword and Sonic closed his eyes. _I'm sorry sis,_ he thought.

The sword came up and started downwards...

_*CLANG*_

Sonic waited a few moments, then realized that he wasn't dead. What..? He dared to look up. At first, his vision was overtaken by silver. Then, he heard the grunting sounds. He managed to look further up then.

A female blue and aquamarine colored hedgehog wearing a silver cloak was standing in front of him. A sword with a thick, triangular blade was held in her hands, which didn't have a single nick in it as it held back Neo's own sword. The sword suddenly caught on fire, the orange-yellow flames swirling around the metal hedgehog. A swift heave of the blade later and Neo was sent into the air.

Alexis Rey Hedgehog turned to look at her brother, her sword still bathed in her reality-bending flames. "Am I late?" she asked jokingly.

Sonic stared up at her hin shock. "Sis, what are you- augh!" He had tried to stand, only for him to double up in pain.

Alexis quickly knelt, her sword coming off her shoulder and the point digging slightly into the ground. She gave Sonic a gentle smile as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "You've done your part," she said gently, "My turn now."

"But he's-" Sonic started, "He could copy your powers."

Alexis's enigmatic smile grew wider. Flames gently swirled around Sonic, taking the forms of glowing bandages. She quickly helped her brother to his feet and half-carried, half-supported him to the edge of the woods, where the still-comatose members of the Knothole Fighters were waiting for them. Alexis had grabbed them during Sonic's fight with Neo.

As she helped him to sit down, she shouldered her blade and turned. As Sonic's vision darkened, he heard her ask a simple question;

"What makes you think he can?"

**Ooooooooooooooohhh! What does Alexis mean by that I wonder? Next chapter might be a little bit short (I'm not too good at writing battles) and have a lot of confusion. See you all next time!**

**I'll be posting a poll as to who the 'voice' was that was introduced in the last chapter. Feel free to put your thoughts down as to who you think it could be!**


	6. Never Mess W a Hedgehog's Home

**I'm calling Neo an 'it' because it is a robot. And I'm just gonna get right into this. But not before I do that;**

**I do Not- repeat; I do NOT abso-bally-lutely own Sonic the Hedgehog! I only own Alexis Rey Hedgehog and any other OC that I make up! All other properties belong to the rightful owners ooooofff (sing it along with me) SE-GAAAAAAAAA! (In case you forgot this wasn't Nintendo.)**

Alexis stalked across the field, looking at the robot parts that were strewn along the ground. "Well, somebody doesn't know the meaning of taking out the trash," she joked.

_*You joke child?*_ Alexis looked up as Neo Metal Sonic landed on top of a destroyed Super Badnik's head. _*Is it because you are nervous?*_

"Heck yeah!" cheered Alexis. "Plus joking in the face of impending doom and horror and destruction is sort of a Hedgehog sibling thing. I mean, have you ever _heard_ my jokes? Let me tell you one right now! A man and a horse walk into a bar-"

_*Silence!*_ Alexis decided to humor Neo and fall quiet, but not before mumbling, "To be honest, I don't even know the punchline. But I'm fairly certain that it's not, 'Boom! You looking for this?' I don't even know where that came from." Then she gave a playful wink and fell quiet.

Neo Metal Sonic stared at her for a few moments. _*You're not nervous,*_ it realized, _*You're confident. Why are you confident? I hold all the cards, so to speak. I hold all your friends powers. I even hold some of the properties of your brother's 'Dark' form, so to speak.*_ The metal hedgehog allowed a few wisps of dark energy to flicker in between its pointed fingers. _*So why are you not afraid?*_

"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm very nervous. But why am I not afraid? Because I know that I found the doorway out," said Alexis, "You must always look for an exit before going back through the entrance. That's something I just completely made up just now, believe it or not."

_*I can believe it,*_ said Neo. _*So child, are you ready to see your brother die, with you alongside him?*_

"Actually," said Alexis, "I've got an answer for that question by giving a different question to you- Are you ready to fall?" The sword swung off of her shoulders, striking the ground next to her. Her free hand lit up with orange flames as her mismatched blue eyes glowed with a fire of their own.

_*Then prepare to fall!*_ Neo surged forward, its arm lengthening as it reached for Alexis.

"Were you saying that to yourself? Becuase it sounded like you were talking to yourself right there!"

Alexis backflipped neatly, her cloak billowing behind her. She landed perfectly on her feet and swung out with her sword. The flat of the blade struck Neo's arm, causing it to be wrenched out of the ground. Neo continued forward, its arms turning into swords. As it swung, Alexis raised her own sword in a block. Her flames acted without any guestering. As she swung at Neo, the flames became shields, blocking Neo's own swords and other attacks.

The two of them were hard-pressed, but Alexis could see that Neo's red eyes were in their scanning mode. He was trying to get her powers. Might as well taunt him.

"Come on, you sorry son-of-a-glitch! You gonna dance for me, or am I gonna have to pull you into a waltz myself?"

_*Do you ever shut up?!*_ growled Neo.

"Of course you say that. I'm like the hedgehog-female version of Spider-Man! I can't help putting my enemies cute little feelings in a twist! Or well, wires in your case. Do you even have feelings? Probably not, you're a robot after all. And back to my earlier statement, a team-up with Spider-Man and Sonic would be something to see. Eh, Fanfic story I guess."

_*SHUT UP!* _screamed Neo. A wave of dark energy burst from him as he swung out with clenched fists. Alexis back-flipped, deciding that for now, enough was enough with teasing the enemy. She could do that more later.

Time to see if her theory- and the 'voice'- was right.

"Well, you going to try it? I know what you're trying to do! So come on! Hit me!"

_*You are asking for punishment, aren't you?*_ asked Neo. He sent out another shockwave of dark energy. Alexis moved back as Neo's eyes glowed silver. _*Lifeform data-*_

Neo paused, confusion in it's eyes, which were switching from silver to red. It tried again. _*Lifeform data-*_ It stopped again.

"Something wrong?" asked Alexis. Inwardly, she was trying not to cheer just yet. She had been using her flames a lot, so it would've had a chance to scan her. Had she been right? Was she right about what the 'voice' had hinted? Oh please let her be right!

Neo looked up at her. _*How?*_ it asked, _*I am able to copy every power. I have even gained Sonic's 'Dark' form. How am I not able to do it?*_

"Do what?" asked Alexis cheerfully, not stopping the wide grin that was spreading across her face.

Neo stared at her for a few seconds, then said the words that have never been said before-

_*Lifeform data: Unable to copy.*_

Alexis couldn't stop herself. She gave a loud cheer. "I was RIGHT!" she cheered, "Thank you Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. 'Voice'! THANK YOU! HAHAHAAAAA!" She sheathed her sword and started doing a little victory dance and singing the tune to 'Sonic Youth'.

She gave a yelp as suddenly, Neo's enlengthened arms shot around her, pinning her arms to the sides. She struggled as Neo brought her in front of its face. _*Any last words?*_ it asked, obviously now very annoyed.

"Homina, homina, homina comes to miIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNDDDDDDDD!" The last part ended on a scream as she was launched into the air by Neo.

"WHOAWHOAWHOA! STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOOOOOOOOOOOP!" Her flames rapidly surrounded her, trying to stop her rapid ascent into the air.

She finally managed to stop, although she was rather confused when she heard what sounded like an engine. She turned and found that she had stopped right in time- a strange looking airship was right behind her. She was peeking through a window to see three Mobian birds- a green hawk, a purple swallow, and a gray albatross- staring at her in several degrees of shock. "Ummm... hi?" she called through the window.

The green hawk promptly gave a "WHAT THE-!" as he fell over the chair that he was sitting in. The albatross promptly screamed like a little girl and the swallow continued to look on in shock.

Then Alexis remembered who had tossed her. "Ohyeahsorry! GottagodefeatNeo,bye!" she said rather quickly, then sped off.

She could've sworn that she heard someone yell, although it faded as she got further away, "WAVE, GET Us outta here!"

"Well, that was an experience."

**()**

Neo stalked towards the woods, looking around for the fallen bodies of Sonic and the remainder of the Knothole Fighters. Strangely, he couldn't see them, even though the crater that Sonic had been in was still there. Where could his rival have gone?

"Here's blue in your eye!"

Neo turned, only for a flame-covered fist to smack into its faceplates. It skidded back and looked up, not noticing that the dent refused to repair itself.

Alexis stood in front of it, her flames disappating from her hands. Her other hand returned to the sword that was sheathed on her waist. With a click of a button, the blade appeared again. "So, are we ready for round two?" she asked, "But if you don't want me to make more quips, just say so."

Neo gave an angry buzz of anger. It rushed forward, its arms turning once more into swords. Alexis spun to the side as flames surrounded her blade. She gave an angry yell as she swung downward.

Neo gave a buzz-like scream as its arms were cut off. It landed on its face a few yards away from her. It managed to stand and turned back towards Alexis. There were sparking stumps where its arms used to be.

"You're, uh, missing something," said Alexis, pointing.

Neo gave a droning scoff as its eyes darkened. After a few moments, however, the eyes appeared again. Once more, there was confusion in its red eyes. It looked down at its arms, as if it was expecting them to grow back. It looked back at her again. _*How?* _it asked again.

"That's like the fifth time that you've asked that," said Alexis, "Did I stop your arms from growing back or something- *gasp* oh!" The devilish smirk suddenly turned into a very deadly glare.

If looks could kill, Neo would've been a small puddle of super-hot liquid metal.

_*Don't!*_ Neo started to say, but it was too late. Alexis sped forward, the flames surrounding her sword growing more intense. Neo screamed as it's legs were cut off as well.

"The arms were for Sonic!" declared Alexis, standing over Neo's body, "The legs were for my home! And this-!" She raised her sword above her head, aiming it towards Neo's chest, "-is for ME!"

The sword swung downward, impaling Neo Metal Sonic's chest. For a brief moment, all that could be heard was screaming. Then, the screaming stopped and Neo slumped, offline. Alexis pulled her sword out of Neo's chest and walked away, her sword, dripping with robot fluid and wierd silver stuff, slung over her shoulder.

"Never mess with a hedgehog's home," she quipped.

A small explosion came from behind her.

"-or your robots may be the next to explode. Huh, I oughta write that down."

**()**

_[Next morning- Knothole Village]_

"Sonic?"

Sonic gave a small moan as he came to, his eyes blinking slightly. Boy, was he sore! And who was talking to him? Suddenly, he remembered. Alexis! Was she okay?

He swiftly sat up, giving a cry of pain as his sore body moaned in protest. A hand grabbed his shoulder, steadying him as he struggled to sit up. "Easy! You were pretty badly hurt."

He managed to open his eyes. He looked towards his right. "Alexis?" he asked, recognizing his little sister.

"Good morning," she said, smiling. She helped him sit up as she said, "Neo did a number on you. I can do good with external damages, but you have some internal brusing and some cracked ribs. Those I unfortunately can't get, so you'll need to take it easy for a few days."

Sonic, managing to catch his breath and leaned against the pillows. "Well, that's nice," he said, slightly sarcastic. "Mom and Dad worried when you came in with me?"

"And everyone else," said Alexis. "The rest of the team is alright, although Elias says that he's suffering from a slightly smacked pride. And Mighty told me to tell you that you need to keep your temper down."

"So you heard?" he asked.

"Yup. But then again, every hero has their dark side. Quite literaly for you."

"Sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his head, "Neo really pulled on my strings. I should've figured that he would've heard about what Eggman and Infinite did to me." He gave a sigh, trying not to think of what Eggman showed him with that Phantom Ruby.

Alexis's hand returned to his shoulder. Whe he looked up at her, she said, "It's the external wounds that heal the quickest."

"Did you get that from a tv show?" asked Sonic, raising an eyebrow, "Because that sounds like something from a tv show."

"Danny got big on Transformers a few years after you left." said Alexis, "Some of the quotes just stuck with me. Expecially Optimus Prime quotes."

"Transformers?"

"Long story."

Sonic nodded, deciding to drop the topic. besides, there was something else he needed to adress to. "Alexis... I'm sorry I didn't let you come along."

"You told me why you didn't let me come the first time," said Alexis gently. "And honestly, I would've done the same. But one thing." She gently flicked the end of his nose, "Next time, don't assume. I can take care of myself."

"I know," said Sonic, rolling his eyes, "I guess I'm a little too protective, aren't I?"

"A little," said Alexis, grinning. She took his hand and said, "But from now on, let's do it all together. As brother and sister."

"As family," mumbled Sonic. As she looked up at him, he gently squeezed her hand. "I will. I promise this time."

_[Several Weeks later]_

When Sonic had fully healed from his fight with Neo, he got the longing in his eyes as he looked at the secret entrance to Knothole. Alexis recognized the look, and felt the longing as well.

But their look was also noticed by their parents. So one morning, when they came down into the living room, they found two small backpacks waiting for them on the couch. One was brown with a small symbol on the top flap that Alexis didn't recognize, and the other green with a small bird symbol on the top flap. Next to it was Alexis's folded cloak and her sword.

As Alexis looked curiously at the packs, Sonic looked towards the entrance to the kitchen, where Jules and Bernadette were waiting. "Mom... Dad..." said Sonic softly.

"We've been noticing your looks, you two," said Jules as Alexis turned, "And out there is where you belong."

"Just try and visit more often, alright?" asked Bernadette.

Alexis and Sonic looked at their parents, then at each other. They smiled, the rushed forward and hugged their parents. "Deal," they both said at the same time.

"What's in the packs?" asked Sonic as the separated from their parents.

"Mostly food and a camping kit," said Jules, "But there's a gift as well from Chuck. Might want to take a look."

Alexis walked up to the green backpack, which was obviously hers, and rumaged around in it for a few seconds. She gasped as she pulled out a large sphere colored silver, red, and blue. "This looks like Kobara's compact form for her Extreme Gear! I got an Extreme Gear?!"

"Make sure you give her a few pointers, son," said Jules as Sonic walked over to his backpack and pulled it on, pulling out his own sphere, colored blue, silver, and yellow.

"I will," said Sonic.

After a few more goodbyes, the two of them set off. Once they were outside of Knothole, Alexis pressed the button on the side of her sphere, which turned into a sleek-looking hoverboard. "So," she asked, "Where to?"

"Wherever the wind blows!" said Sonic. He activated his own Extreme Gear and hopped on it as it floated int the air. "You with me?"

"I'm with you!" cheered Alexis. She hopped onto her own Extreme Gear and the two of them took off into the air with loud cheers. They were off on a new adventure.

**And that's the end of 'Where I Belong'! Next up, possibly to everyone's confusion, is 'Phoenix Chronicles: Unleashed Awakening'! I know that 'Sonic Unleashed' takes place before 'Sonic Forces', but in this storyline, Dark Gaia hasn't happened yet.**

**Warning for the beginning of the story- it is going to be rather unexpected and very tear-jerky. I won't give the full sypnosis until the first chapter.**

**Now how about we get to Eggman, eh?**

Eggman looked at the data that had been transmitted to him before Neo Metal Sonic had been destroyed. "So he was unable to replicate 'Phoenix's' powers. Interesting." His gaze darkened as he looked towards a picture of Alexis and muttured, "What, or who, are you?"

_*Dr. Eggman?*_ Eggman turned as Orbot appeared beside him, holding a data-pad. _*The regular Metal Sonic has just transmitted something interestiing. I think you might want to take a look.*_

Egman snatched the data-pad from his robot assistant. He scanned it, his face turning into an evil smile. "Well, what do you know?" he muttured.

He turned and looked at the picture of Alexis again. "She may have defeated Infinite, but that was with Sonic's help.

"How well will she fare without her precious friend to stand by her side?"

**Foreshadowing and darkness coming. I'll see you all next time! Peace!**


End file.
